Britain’s cost of living crisis is quietly dismantling community life, leaving millions unable to afford connection, belonging or a place in society
Sitting in a public space, stirring a cup of tea, cheering on your team, or watching the world go by from a bus window, we naturally focus on the people in front of us. Those, like us, who have made it out into public life.
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What we too often fail to consider is who is missing. The people who could not make it out that day. Those working two jobs in a warehouse, living with limited mobility, or simply unable to afford the bus fare or the price of a coffee.
Two decades of economic stagnation have culminated in a period of sharp inflation. The everyday building blocks of community life have steadily, and then suddenly, been pulled beyond the reach of millions.
New research from the Belonging Forum shows that since the pandemic, 86% of people in the UK say economic pressures — from rising bills to the cost of socialising — have made it harder to connect with others.
Feeding your children. Keeping the heating on, especially for older people. Paying the rent or mortgage. These are not choices. They are necessities.
But what about a trip to the pub on a rainy Sunday? A coffee with other parents after school? Taking the train into town on a Saturday just to feel the energy of being among others?
These things are often dismissed as non-essential. On one level, perhaps they are. But they are essential to belonging. They are vital to the wellbeing, inclusivity and connectedness of our communities.
This is the hidden cost of the cost-of-living crisis that we do not talk about enough.
Nightlife is disappearing. Pubs are closing. Libraries have shut. Cafés are becoming more exclusive. More people are living on, and through, screens, and many are being forced to limit real human connection at precisely the moment they need it most.
Relationships and community are among the strongest protections we have against the pressures of life.
And for those on the margins — disabled, unemployed or otherwise excluded — this loss is felt most acutely. Our Belonging Barometer research, released today and based on a poll of 10,000 UK adults, also found almost two thirds (64%) of people with disabilities report that the rising cost of living is the primary economic barrier to building a sense of community or connection since the pandemic – compared with 56% of non-disabled people and 58% of the overall population.
The result is a country that feels quieter and more fragmented. Not because people have stopped caring, but because the conditions that make connection possible are slipping away.
It is for others to debate how to run the economy. But wherever we go from here, Britain must ensure there are always affordable, accessible third spaces where people can gather.
The good news is that this is already happening at a grassroots level.
Churches, temples and mosques are opening their doors to people of all faiths. Pubs are being reclaimed by women and families. Parkruns, mental health walks and inclusive sports are creating space for everyone.
Globally, ideas such as universal basic income, stronger employment rights, and greater investment in warm, open and genuinely public spaces are gaining ground. Investment in high streets, youth clubs and parks is rising up the agenda.
And perhaps most importantly, younger generations are recognising that one of the greatest assets in the struggle for belonging is time: the ability to spend it with others, and to offer it to those most in need of connection.
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Kim Samuel is the Founder of the Belonging Forum
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